Who’d have thought that fall, not spring, was the best season for planting and gardening?

Well, a lot of folks as a matter of fact, at least the ones who understand what makes gardens grow in the Gulf Coast climate. Right now, and continuing into early December is by far the best season for planting along the Gulf Coast. And that’s one of the reasons the Mobile Botanical Garden’s Fall Plant Sale is the Gulf Coast’s best sources for plants: The plants are available when you need them most.

If you’ve had trouble getting plants to survive with conventional spring planting, give up your bad Yankee habits and start gardening the Gulf Coast way, by concentrating your gardening efforts in the cool, bright days of fall.

Who’d have thought that we could have delphiniums, snapdragons, dianthus, calendulas and many other flowers blooming for nearly half the year, and right through the middle of winter?

The volunteers who support the Mobile Botanical Gardens plant sale thought it, but they’ve been as frustrated as you that we couldn’t find plants ready to go in the ground in fall, when these cool season annuals bloom best.

Until now: Nita and the gang at Mobile Botanical Gardens have put together a stupendous collection of winter blooming plants for your yard. Don’t forget to mix and match big bloomers like delphiniums with extraordinarily colorful ornamental greens, like Red Sail lettuce and Siberian kale. And with your mix of blues, don’t forget to add a sprinkle of Veronica Georgia Blue.

Who’d have thought that you could have you yard in splendid color for 12 months of the year?

The Mobile Botanical Gardens has always emphasized this, with its ReBloom gardening program. And plants that bloom 12 months of the year is what the Mobile Botanical Gardens fall plant sale is all about. When you come to the sale, be sure to talk with gardening consultants who can help you find plants to keep your yard in full color from January through December.

Who’d have thought we’d have so many plants you wouldn’t have to settle for a another boring “boxwood” holly when you need an evergreen plant 3 feet tall?

Blooming, colorful, evergreen and DEPENDABLE dwarf plants: We know that’s what so many gardeners are looking for, and the fall plant sale has an unusually larger selection.

First, take a look at Maarten’s Satsuki azaleas. Each one is a painting, I tell you, and many — like Raspberry Red, Astronaut, Coronado Red — will be in bloom right now (that’s right, they’re not only dwarf and stunning, they have TWO big seasons of bloom).

But before you decide, look at the new dwarf ornamental blueberries. Rosa’s Blue may well be one of the most beautiful new 3 foot high evergreens to come along in year. On this plant, every tiny leaf is a flower, emerging with rosey green tones and maturing into a soft, icey blue.

And then compare with the dozens of other truly dwarf evergreens we have for sun or shade.

Who’d have thought there’ be roses that love blooming in Mobile?

Yes, just in time for Mobile’s best season of rose bloom, in fall, the Mobile Botanical Gardens has a great selection of roses, including some of my cast-iron rose favorites, like Louis Phillipe.

Who’d have thought there were so many perennials that bloom as if they LOVE growing in Mobile.

There are a huge number of perennials I’ve never seen for sale before — shoot, there are even colors I’ve never seen on plants before! The selection this year is so big and diverse, I don’t really know where to start — but there’s salvias of every height, my favorite long-spur columbine, a rich blue plectranthus from the mountains of Japan, clerodendrums, cannas, crinums, the famous Alabama Sun ox-eye, hibiscus, lilies, iris, phlox, ruby-colored shrimp plants …. and is that a RED plumbago?

Who’d have thought the Mobile’s most famous shrubs, the old-fashioned Southern Indian azaleas, the great old camellias that brighten our winters, the traditional big blue summer hydrangeas — would be hard to find?

Anywhere, that is, except the Mobile Botanical Gardens, where there is quite simply the best selection of camellias, hydrangeas and azaleas anywhere on the Gulf Coast. You want plants that bloomed as big and beautiful (and as easy) as the plants in your grandmother’s garden? Here’s where you’ll find them.

Who’d have thought we’d have discovered so many tough dwarf evergreens for even the hottest, sunniest places.

You want a tough evergreen for the hottest, driest spot imaginable. Take a look at great dwarf shrubs like “Little Oscar” yaupon, or its close cousin, Rudoph — you’ll never need to mess with those nasty old fake Chinese boxwoods again. Or consider the plant that would have been a hot ornamental had it not already been identified as a herb: A knee-high hedge of rosemary will blow the neighbors away. Or how about something that looks like a cross between a palm and a fern, the Florida cycad known as coontie?

Who’d have thought, just as we were discovering how many great flowering trees we have Mobile, some varieties of dogwoods are showing signs of making a comeback.

Maybe all those ailments killing dogwoods for the past few decades were good for us. Finally, we discovered how MANY stunning flowering trees there are for the Gulf Coast. Now, some of us have a whole new range of flowering trees we just couldn’t do without, like the fringe tree, covered in a veil of white, the silver bell, the amazingly blue chaste tree, the summer titi with its summery strands of white and great fall color.

And now, though nobody’s ready to give an all clear, there’s a chance, a small chance at least, that the dogwood itself might be coming back _ IF you find trees resistant to the diseases that plague the Gulf Coast. We’ve got two of the most handsome native dogwoods I’ve ever seen sold in a nursery, Madison and Weaver’s White, and both have shown some promising resistance to some significant dogwood diseases. These are big trees, these are beautiful trees, and I guarantee you better get here early, because they are going to sell fast.

If they do, you may be lucky enough to get hold of one of the new Asian evergreen dogwoods (Cornus ellipitica), with giant star-like flowers in JUNE! And yes, in case you missed it, it’s a dogwood with evergreen leaves suited for nearly tropical climates like ours.

And don't think you'll have to settle because you miss the dogwoods. For our climate, I don't believe there are trees any more beautiful than the American or Chinese fringe trees, or the chaste trees, or the many other flowering plants for this climate.

Who’d have thought you could grow RHODODENDRONS on the Gulf Coast?

You’ve been wrongly led to believe that rhododendrons only perform for those in the Pacific northwest or in New England. But the Gulf Coast has its own great collection of subtropical rhododendrons, and they’re absolutely stunning. Don’t expect to find these at the Big Box stores — they don’t have a clue what rhododendrons grow on the Gulf Coast. These are a Mobile Botanical Gardens specialty.

Who’d have thought there would be so many colorful plants for yes, even the deepest shade?

Florida anisa, florida leucothoe, holly ferns, fatsia, aucubas, gold-dusted tea plants, and the most incredible cast iron plants I’ve ever seen — check out Spektacular, selected by our own Linda Guy. Nope, there’s no need to be put off gardening just because you think you’ve got too much shade. Take a look at the great selection of dwarf gingers — gingers that range from ankle to knee high, and that are accustomed to showing off on the shady ground of Southeast Asian jungles.

INFO: The gardens are located at 5151 Museum Drive in Langan Municipal Park, a couple of miles west of Interstate 65, near the intersection of Springhill Avenue, Zeigler Boulevard and MacGregor Avenue.

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Bill Finch would love to hear about your garden experiences and problems. He can’t answer all questions personally, but you can e-mail him at plaingardening@yahoo.com.